Today's Scripture Reading (May 17, 2024): Acts 26
Tahir
sat in a state of total shock. The wailing of his wife reached his ears, but he
was helpless to respond to her or even look at the too-tranquil face of his
beloved only child, Bashir! What a joy the eight-month-old baby had been to the
whole family! Bashir was Tahir's parent's first grandchild. How could any of
them have guessed their happiness would be so short-lived? Just three days
previously, the baby had developed diarrhea. His bowel movements and vomiting
had been uncontrollable. Bashir had died in the early hours of this morning.
Tahir now faced a problem he had never anticipated. He and his wife had very
recently become followers of Hazrat Isa (Jesus Christ). Would it be right for
them to bury their son in the old Islamic way? Should they pray the Muslim
burial prayer over his body? If not, what should they do? How do people who
follow the path of Hazrat Isa bury their dead?
In
these times, people seem to want to fall back on their God and the comforts of
their belief. When a loved one dies, people turn to the church, sometimes to a
pastor, even if it is one that they have never met. They need to hear the words
of comfort from someone.
It
is hard for us to imagine the pain Tahir was going through. We live in a
country where churches are everywhere, where it seems that even the most
hostile or agnostic person knows something of Hazrat Isa. But that is just an
illusion. Jesus is no more accessible for many in North America than he is in
third-world countries. We are surrounded by people who know nothing of Jesus
Christ. Our message is important because it is genuine and filled with hope.
Tahir's
story didn't happen in this country, but it could have. What do you do when you
are a stranger in a new and frightening land, and all of the usual customs are
no longer appropriate to your new place of residence?
Yet,
this is precisely where Israel seemed to spend most of its history. They were
strangers in a strange land, surrounded by people who didn't believe in their
God. Israel was destined to live at the crossroads of the ancient world. They lived
on the pathway where massive empires walked as they fought their wars against
each other. They were quite literally door mats, an inconsequential country one
went through to get to the essential places.
To
a modern observer, even one who is not a Christian, it is not surprising that
they developed a doctrine of the Messiah, the one who would come and deliver
them and their children from a life of oppression. The Messiah would be someone
like King David, who had made them into a mighty empire of which others had to
be careful. A Messiah would come and keep their children safe, giving the
nation hope for the future.
It
was these customs and controversies to which Paul refers and what King Agrippa
understands. Jesus was the Messiah, and now was time for Agrippa to hear the
testimony of the Messiah straight from the mouth of Paul.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Acts 27
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